Little Berry
by Mazoku-sempai
Summary: Ichigo and Grimmjow's final showdown goes horribly wrong, resulting in Grimmjow being forced to care for the shinigami. Will Grimmjow lose his sanity in the process or uncover a deeply hidden devotion? GrimmIchi, fluff, language.
1. Fight Gone Horribly Wrong

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter One - Fight Gone Horribly Wrong**

* * *

Grimmjow tossed his head back and laughed manically, his teal panther ears of his released form shaking with the move. A short distance across the sand, Ichigo pulled himself to his feet, his hollow mask nearly gone. Panting heavily, the shinigami held Tensa Zangetsu firmly in both hands as he waited for the Espada to make his next move.

"What's the matter shinigami?" the blunette teased, a feral grin seemingly stuck on his face. "Can't keep up?"

Ichigo remained silent, his ever present scowl faltering slightly as a quick dizzy spell coursed through his body. Something was wrong. He never felt like this until his mask had completely broken. Shaking his head to clear it, he raised his zanpakutou and released a full powered Getsuga. Grimmjow slapped the attack away without batting an eyelash and charged toward the teen, grin still in place. Far too tired to fight back, Ichigo just stood there as the Espada reeled his fist back before crushing in into the teen's face. Ichigo tumbled back quite a bit before crashing into a busted red pillar.

"Kurosaki-kun!" the busty auburn woman screamed.

Grimmjow growled and grit his teeth. He was getting really sick and tired of that woman screaming the shinigami's name. As much as he wanted to kill her, he wouldn't just for the sheer fact she returned his arm to him. However, that didn't mean he'd save her from a hungry hollow. Ignoring the wench for now, he shifted his gaze back to the smoke cloud that had erupted the moment the Ichigo collided with pillar. Grimmjow stood waiting for the smoke to clear. It took a few moments, but when it finally did, confusion fell over the Espada and the two spectators.

"Did I kill him?" the blunette mumbled as he took a few steps toward the crumbled pillar. As he quickly closed the gap, his blue eyes widened at the sight before him. "What the hell?" he cursed.

Ichigo's shihakushou merely lay on the sand, a small bump moving around inside the clothing. Against his better judgment, Grimmjow lifted the fabric to peer inside. Large doe like amber eyes gazed curiously at the blunette as a small hand reached out to touch him.

"Kitty!"

Blue eyes widened as he realized that he was indeed staring at the shinigami he was previously fighting; only now, he was a small child. How in all creation did this happen? He didn't have much time to think on it as Nnoitra and Tesla appeared as well as Starrk. The primera was over by the witch woman, so he most likely came to return her to Aizen. However, Nnoitra and his little slave were close to him, too close. Child or not, the shinigami was his to kill. Thinking quickly, he gathered the naked child and wrapped the shihakushou tightly around him so as to conceal him. He turned around, prepared to return to his quarters, but halted at seeing the Quinto so close.

"Where ya goin' Grimmjow?" Nnoitra questioned his trademark grin in place.

"To my quarters," the blunette snapped out. "Fight's over."

"What happened ta the cute lil shinigami?"

"Dead."

Nnoitra's gaze shifted from Grimmjow's face to the bundled fabric in his arms. "Whatcha got there?"

Grimmjow merely glared at the raven haired Espada before using sonido to return to his room. Once in his room, he gently placed the bundle of shinigami on his bed, ignoring the fighting still occurring outside. It took just a moment for the young orangette to wriggle free. His large amber eyes looked on in awe at the large and mostly empty white room. The boy's eyes stopped upon seeing Grimmjow once more.

"Kitty!" he called out, his small arms waving in the air indicating he wanted to be picked up.

Upon hearing the same word fall from the boy's lips once more, the Sexta realized he was still in his release form. Closing his eyes, his armor glowed a light blue before it faded revealing his scarred tanned chest. He sheathed Pantera and leaned forward to get a better look at his rival. He was not prepared for the small child to grab onto his unruly blue hair and tug.

"The hell shinigami!" Grimmjow cried out and pried his hair from the boy's hand. To repay the favor, he grabbed a fistful of tangerine locks and tugged harshly. He was not prepared for the boy to start wailing, tears streaking down his chubby cheeks. "Shit," he cursed as he released the boy's hair and pat his head in response. "I let go. See?" Grimmjow held his hands out in front of the crying child to see. However, the crying did not cease.

"Stop crying!" he ordered. Ichigo stopped crying momentarily to sniffle a few times before he started wailing again. Grimmjow attempted to shush the boy, but it was no use. "What the hell do you want from me?"

The blunette was not known for his patience. Blue eyes scanned the room trying to find something to silence the boy and save his sanity. His eyes fell upon the coffee table by the couch where a lone book sat. Rushing over, he grabbed the book before quickly opening it and thrusting it at the boy. Ichigo instantly stopped crying and looked at the large book in his lap. His brown eyes gazed up at Grimmjow for a moment before looking back to the book.

"Can you even read?" he asked the boy. Ichigo responded with a squeal before tearing out the pages one by one. Grimmjow sighed as he remembered just where he got that book. "Ulquiorra is going to be pissed."

The tearing halted as Ichigo gazed back at Grimmjow, a tense look on his young face. "Kitty."

"Hmm?"

"Potty!"

"What do you mean 'potty'?" This version of Ichigo was much more complicated to deal with. At least when he was a shinigami it was simple. He just had to let instinct take over, but this young boy was forcing him to take in the situation and think. Grimmjow hated thinking.

"Kitty!" the boy cried out as he slid off the bed and covered himself, bouncing his weight from foot to foot. "Potty! Potty!"

"I don't know what that is!" he growled, doing his best to keep his anger under control. Seconds later he heard the sound of liquid hitting the cold cement floor. It was then he realized what 'potty' meant. "Oh..." Grimmjow paled. As soon as young Ichigo had finished, his doe brown eyes welled up with more tears. "Shit! Don't cry! Don't cry!"

Much to his dismay, the crying resumed. Grimmjow tried using the book to calm the boy, but it didn't work. Covering his ears to blot out the annoying sound, his blue eyes shifted to the adjoining bathroom. An idea clicked in his head as he rushed over to the large room and began filling the tub with water. Seeing as how Ichigo was much smaller, he only filled the tub half way. It would do him no good if the boy drowned, seeing as he still wanted to finish their fight. Once the tub was filled, he returned to the room to grab Ichigo. He tucked the crying child under his arm and carried him to the bathroom before gently setting him into the bath.

Ichigo's ceased crying once more as his eyes widened and his face lit up with a huge smile. Grimmjow knelt down, "You like baths?" he questioned. His reward was a splash of warm water to his face and a squeal of delight.

The combination of the happy squeal and the look of sheer happiness on the child's face caused Grimmjow to smile warmly at the orangette. Ichigo's smiled widened more so at the blunette's expression. "Kitty!" he called happily as he reached out and touched the Espada's uncovered cheek.

Blue eyes widened as Grimmjow jerked back from the move, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He growled before glaring at the child. He wasn't really angry at Ichigo seeing as how the boy no longer had the mental capacity to understand what he was doing. He was angry at himself for allowing such an act to get to him. There was only one way to fix this. Reaching for a small nearby bucket, he scooped up some water before promptly dumping it onto the boy's head. Ichigo squealed happily and a water war began.

* * *

After thoroughly soaking the bathroom, Grimmjow emerged victorious in the water war. The two sat on the couch as the blunette toweled the child off. Once done, he wrapped Ichigo in the towel before clasping his own chin in thought.

"You can't exactly run around naked. You'll need some clothes."

Grimmjow stared at Ichigo as he tried to recall if anyone had clothing close to his size. The only other child in Hueco Mundo was Lilynette, but she was still much bigger than the tiny child before him. He'd have to improvise. Heading over to the bed, he tore off a panel of the black hakama as well as the white sash. Moving back to Ichigo, he removed the towel and wrapped the large panel around the boy's waist before quickly tying it in place with the section of sash.

"That should work."

Ichigo looked curiously at the fabric before smiling up at Grimmjow causing the Espada to smile in return. The blunette quickly caught himself and replaced the smile with a scowl. Standing, he picked up the child and set him on the couch before covering him with a small blanket.

"Alright kid, time to sleep."

Grimmjow moved to his own bed and climbed under the covers, hoping the brat would just pass out. He'd had a long day and was desperate for some much needed rest. He sighed as he heard fabric shifting followed by the pitter patter of bare feet against the cold floor. Once the noise stopped, he peaked his head out from under the cover's to glare at the child.

"Kitty?" Ichigo spoke softly.

"What?" he snapped.

"Story," the boy responded holding up the torn book for emphasis.

"No. Go the fuck to sleep," Grimmjow grumbled as he rolled over, ignoring the child.

A few moments passed before he heard the pitter patter once more, this time moving away from him. Grimmjow mentally thanked whoever was listening for giving him this one thing. The mental prayer was cut short as the young Ichigo suddenly pounced onto him, book still in tow.

"Fuck!" Grimmjow grunted as the child managed to deflate his lungs with the move.

"Story Kitty!" Ichigo demanded as he harshly beat the book against the blunette's head.

"God you're such a brat," the Espada grumbled as he took the book and sat up. Ichigo moved to quickly sit next to Grimmjow and pulled the blanket up as he got comfortable. Grimmjow scanned a few pages of the book before looking back at the orangette's expectant face. "This book is too old for you," he said as he tossed the book aside. "Just go to sleep."

Grimmjow slid back down and nestled comfortably under the covers. Ichigo did not like this as he promptly began pushing against the blunette's shoulder repeating kitty over and over in an attempt to gain his attention. The blunette merely ignored the child and hoped he would get the picture and go to sleep. He was however not prepared for Ichigo to start wailing again.

"Is that all you do?" he growled as he rolled over to face the crying child.

"Story! Story!" Ichigo moaned in between wails.

"Shut your fucking mouth and lay down!" Grimmjow bellowed effectively silencing the boy. Although the tears continued, the only sound heard was Ichigo's gasps and whimpers as he attempted to remain silent. Sighing, the blunette closed his eyes before speaking. "Once upon a time, there was this orange haired shinigami."

"Yay! Story!" the boy cried out happily as he wiped his tears.

"Keep your mouth shut or I'll stop," he ordered. Ichigo nodded and burrowed further into the blanket to better see Grimmjow as he spoke. "So this shinigami was the strongest shinigami out of those present in the human world. He thought he could beat me easily, but I showed him just how wrong he was." Grimmjow paused as he rolled onto his back, arms tucked underneath his head as he stared at the ceiling. "Not once during the whole fight was I forced to unsheathe Pantera. But the whole time, that brat stared at me like he was going to win. It just burned my blood and made me want to kill him even more. Just as I was preparing to kill him, he fired this attack at me and managed to damage me."

Grimmjow turned his head and was surprised to see the young orangette sleeping soundly. As much as he mentally fought it, he couldn't stop the small smile from crossing his lips. Blue eyes closed as he whispered, "Fucking brat," before quickly succumbing to the beautiful darkness of sleep.

* * *

**A/N**: This idea randomly popped into my head last night and well... I just couldn't say no. XD I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing it.

**Please review any fic you read. Writers use reviews as feedback as well as inspiration for the direction they take the fic in. It hurts us writers to see 1k+ views on something we write only to have 2 reviews. I review every fic I read, good or bad. Don't be afraid to be honest. I appreciate honest reviews the most as the help me improve my writing. Do your fellow fans a favor and review their fics.**


	2. Adventures in Babysitting

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**A/N**: I rarely ever do an author note at the beginning of the chapter, but I just had to. I am beside myself with how well received this fic is. I have never had more than a couple reviews for the first chapter. I am beyond happy that you all love this story. I'm not sure how long I plan to make this, but it will probably be at least 10 chapters. After all, I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old for inspiration. Also, Ichigo is being portrayed as somewhere between the age of 2 and 3 if you want a visual.

_I forgot to thank the lovely Shin-man for the beta in the first chapter. You know I love you!_

* * *

**Chapter Two - Adventures in Babysitting**

Grimmjow slowly awoke to a weird sensation against his chest. A soon as it vanished he allowed himself to drift a bit further back toward unconsciousness, that is, until the sensation occurred again. Moaning softly he swatted at whatever was causing the sensation and rolled onto his back. The Espada sighed happily as he felt his mind being drug back down into blissful sleep. It wasn't meant to last however as the wind flew out of his lungs due to a heavy object landing on his chest.

"What the-" he started, but stopped as he managed to pry his ocean blue eyes open only to stare into large deep brown eyes. _That's right. That stupid shinigami somehow got himself turned into a kid_, his mind provided. "What the hell do you want?"

"Up Kitty!" Ichigo ordered happily as he slapped the blunette's uncovered cheek a couple times. "Food!"

"Fine," Grimmjow growled as he sat up causing the child to tumble gleefully to the soft bed.

The Espada felt a smile tugging at his lips upon hearing the child's giggles. The smile quickly turned into a scowl. Just why was that little brat making him so... Well he couldn't describe how he felt, he was just feeling and Grimmjow did not like feeling.

Standing, he ordered Ichigo to stay as he exited the room to obtain food for the boy. The halls of Las Noches were eerily quiet and empty which was rather odd considering they were about to go to war. Had Aizen already invaded Karakura? If anyone would know it would be the blasted pet of that exiled shinigami. Speak of the devil himself.

"What brings you out here so early Grimmjow?" the raven haired Espada questioned, face belaying no emotion.

"Just looking for some food," he grumbled. "Has Aizen invaded the humans yet?"

"It would seem so," Ulquiorra responded. "Don't know why you're looking for food inside, all the hollows are outside."

"Not hollow," Grimmjow muttered as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm looking for that human food Aizen and his bitches always eat."

The other Espada blinked no other change on his face as he spoke. "You can find it in the room next to the meeting hall."

Without another word, the blunette dashed past the stoic man to obtain the food. Upon arriving in the small room, he spotted a wide array of food, but he wasn't sure what the kid would like. Snagging a large bowl, he began filling it with various fruits, hoping that the kid would eat some of it. Satisfied with his choices, he exited the small room and headed back toward his quarters, unbeknownst to the pair of green eyes that watched him curiously. Upon entering his room, Grimmjow sat the bowl of fruit down on the coffee table, blue eyes scanning the room in the process.

"I brought food brat," he called out, not exactly seeing the kid anywhere. "Kid?"

He heard faint giggling over by the bed. Slowly he waltzed over to the bed, a knowing smirk across his face. Hopping on top of the bed, he quietly leaned over the side and peered underneath. There he spotted a bright head of orange peering out from the other side of the bed, snickering softly. Smirking turning into a feral grin, Grimmjow grabbed the boy's ankle and yanked him out from under the bed, holding him upside down. Ichigo squealed in delight from the move as his arms flailed happily. Grimmjow stood and held the boy up higher to where their noses touched.

"Kitty fun!" Ichigo called out before giving a quick kiss to the blunette's nose.

Grimmjow's face lit up like a tomato from the move. Still holding the boy by his ankle, he growled in the child's face. "Don't do that again."

Ichigo's giggles instantly stopped as his eyes welled up. Great, now the kid was going to start bawling again. Sighing, Grimmjow carried him upside down over to the couch before dropping him onto the soft cushions. "Eat," he ordered as he gestured to the bowl of fruit.

The orangette grabbed an apple before holding it up to the blunette. "Cut?"

Grimmjow took the offered apple and stared back at the child. "You want me to cut it up?" The boy nodded.

Blue eyes looked around for a knife of some sort before realizing he could just use his zanpakutou to cut the fruit. Tossing the apple into the air, his hand flew to Pantera's hilt. Before Ichigo could blink, the apple exploded into smaller slices. Brown eyes blinked a few more times before he squealed and clapped his hands repeatedly.

"You like that?" Grimmjow asked, smirking widely.

"Again! Again!"

Grimmjow then spent the next few minutes using Pantera to slice half the bowl of fruit into much smaller easier to eat pieces for the child. As the blunette sat down on the couch next to the kid, Ichigo held out a mango, hoping to get the Sexta to slice it up as well. Grimmjow just shook his head and placed the fruit back in the bowl. Ichigo tried a few more times with the same outcome. His innocent amber eyes welled up with tears again, but the moment he opened his mouth to start crying, Grimmjow quickly stuffed a piece of sliced apple inside to shut him up. Ichigo chewed the fruit before quickly smiling and diving in to eat.

* * *

After eating only half the cut up fruit, Grimmjow was forced to bath the messy and sticky child. Ichigo attempted to start another water war, but Grimmjow wouldn't have it. He quickly bathed the orangette before stuffing the makeshift loin cloth back onto the kid. At this point the blunette was trying to snag some more sleep, but Ichigo wouldn't have it. The small child continued to poke the Espada. He didn't speak; he just poked his side... Repeatedly. Just as Grimmjow felt his sanity shattering, the child finally spoke.

"Kitty?"

"What?" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Play?"

"I'm tired."

"Play?"

Blue eyes widened upon hearing the slight whine in the child's voice. Grimmjow merely rolled over, intent to ignore the boy. Yes, if you ignore them long enough they'll go away. However, with a child as stubborn as Ichigo, that would be nigh impossible and he quickly realized this when the child put his hand through his hollow hole. A deep shiver ran up his spine at the odd sensation. The blunette rolled over and came face to face with the shinigami.

"Listen you little shit," Grimmjow snarled, his sharper than normal canines visible. "Just because you keep pestering me, doesn't mean I'll do whatever you want."

"Kitty mad?" Ichigo questioned.

"Stop calling me Kitty! I'm not some god damn cuddly house cat!"

Ichigo's face scrunched up and his eyes filled with tears once more. "Kitty... no like... Berry?" he asked between hiccups as the tears began to spill over.

Grimmjow felt his chest tighten painfully at those words. Of course he didn't like Ichigo, they were enemies. But then... Why was he here now caring for the chibified shinigami? "Look kid," he started thanking everything that the child wasn't wailing. "It's not that I don't like you, but we're enemies. You should be thankful that I'm even helping you out right now."

"E-ma-nies?" Ichigo repeatedly slowly.

"En-e-mies," the Espada corrected. "We're on opposite sides so we fight a lot." Amber eyes just continued to stare curiously at him. At least he had stopped crying. Sitting up Grimmjow furiously scratched the back of his head. "If you were normal right now, we'd be tearing each other apart limb by limb."

Speaking of normal, just how would he get Ichigo back to normal? He could ask Szayel for help, but from what he'd gathered, the shinigami's friends did a number on him and he was still recovering. Not to mention the creep would probably attempt to experiment on him instead of helping. Who else could help? There was that creepy exiled shinigami Aizen loathed in the human world. But then Aizen was currently invading said human world, so leaving right now was out of the question. Grimmjow heaved a heavy sigh as he realized he'd be stuck with the brat for a while. It wouldn't be so bad if he could just fight him.

Fight?

This whole thing started during their fight. Maybe if he fought the brat he'd return to normal and they could finish things once and for all! Grimmjow would go easy of him of course. He'd just bait the brat until he attacked and just defend until he turned back into a teenager. Yeah, that should work. Patting the child's head, he ordered Ichigo to stay put once more as he ventured out to find the kid's discarded Zanpakutou.

* * *

It took a bit, but Grimmjow finally returned with Ichigo's zanpakutou, still in its bankai state. It would make things much easier. Upon entering his given quarters his jaw dropped and his blue eyes widened as he took in its current state.

"Wh-what the fuck happened?" the Espada sputtered out as he stormed into the room, slamming the door shut.

The bed was in disarray, the blanket somehow torn and the pillow's feathers spilled all over the bed and the small area around it. The couch had been turned onto it's back, the cushions strewn about the room. The small coffee table had a large hole through the middle and one leg broken off. Dropping Ichigo's zanpakutou in the middle of the room, his legs then carried him toward the bathroom where water could be seen running out of the doorway onto the tile. Sticking his head through the open doorway he noticed the toilet seat was up and water was pouring out of the broken device. Glancing over to the tub, his jaw dropped once more upon seeing soap covering the walls. At least the sink appeared to be in working order.

It was then Grimmjow realized that Ichigo was nowhere to be seen. A thunking noise reached his ears and his still stunned gaze shifted to the cabinet beneath the sink. He quickly tore the door open to see a filthy orange haired toddler whacking against the sink pipe with another pipe. Where the hell did he get the first pipe? Anger consuming him at having his room destroyed, Grimmjow reached out to grab the child. Just as his large hand wrapped around the boy's tiny wrist, the pipe beneath the sink gave way and water exploded forth directly at the Espada's face.

Momentarily surprised from the sudden aquatic assault, Grimmjow released his hold on Ichigo's wrist. The child took that as his chance to escape and immediately fled the bathroom. The blunette cursed loudly before finally gaining his bearings and turning quickly to give chase. Although shrunken, the shinigami still had his speed. It was a fast paced race of shunpo and sonido filled with high pitched giggles and squeals and loud angry curses. As Grimmjow tripped over the upturned coach, Ichigo dashed across the room and stopped when he spotted the shiny black katana.

Blue eyes widened as small hands wrapped around the hilt. "Drop it!" he ordered.

But Ichigo had other plans. Just as he was finally slowly lifting the sword, Grimmjow's door flew open to reveal the ever stoic Ulquiorra.

"Grimmjow, Aizen has-" The Espada stopped as he spotted the tiny child, staggering with the zanpakutou raised high above his head.

Grimmjow rushed over to grab the katana, but gravity took over faster and the sword came swinging down, a large black and red energy wave erupting from it. The blunette quickly grabbed the zanpakutou from the kid. The loud explosion resulting from the attack seemingly echoed throughout the white fortress. Blue and amber eyes blinked in unison as soon as the smoke cleared to reveal a large hole going through a few walls. Tucking Ichigo under his arm, Grimmjow slowly advanced to the opening in his wall to see the full extent of the damage. Seven walls and three rooms away stood a disheveled Ulquiorra. Although he always looked the same, Grimmjow could tell he was thoroughly pissed.

A head of silver poked out from the second room blasted through, a rather surprised look upon his face. "Maa maa," Ichimaru groaned as he took in the extent of the damage. "Aizen ain't gonna be pleased 'bout this."

"Fuck me," Grimmjow moaned as a hand covered his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, Ichigo squealing and giggling happily in his grasp.

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**Thank you all so much for all the reviews/follows/faves! They mean the world to me and I love you all! =)  
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	3. Caught and Separated

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Three - Caught and Separated**

* * *

Aizen sat in the large meeting room sipping away at his warm cup of tea. His plan to use Karakura to create the King's Key had majorly backfired. Even after defeating the shinigami present, the hougyoku seemed to remain dormant. The small crystal stopped glowing and radiating energy moments before he departed for the human world. He thought nothing of it at first, but when it didn't respond to his desires, he began to worry. Although they were victorious in the fight, Aizen was forced to retreat until the hougyoku decided to become active again.

The brunet man merely glanced toward the door way as a tremor shook the large white fortress, pulling him from his thoughts. A small frown tugged at his lips. It had to be Grimmjow. That espada was almost always destroying something, much to his displeasure. Aizen swore he did it just to grate on his last nerve. Needless to say it worked. The man schooled his face as he felt the mesh of energies moving toward the meeting hall.

The large doors swung open to reveal Ulquiorra forcing Grimmjow into the room, his arms held tightly behind his back. The Cuarto forcibly shoved the blunet's head onto the table, holding him firmly in place. Grimmjow struggled and demanded to be released. Aizen fought the overwhelming urge to sigh at this. The two were like children, constantly at each other's throat.

"What has this brute destroyed today?" the ex-captain questioned.

"Nothing Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra responded.

The brunet was unable to prevent the raise of his eyebrow in response. "If he has not destroyed anything, why did you bring him here?"

"He has betrayed you." Brown eyes demanded further explanation to which the Espada happily gave. "Grimmjow has been harboring the enemy in his room, apparently trying to heal him."

"This is a grave betrayal indeed," Aizen said as he placed his chin on his steepeled fingers. "How shall I deal with you my dear Sexta?"

"Maa maa," echoed from the hall as the silver haired shinigami approached the open doorway. "Perhaps you should see what he's been keeping first before you decide."

Cyan eyes widened as he spotted the large bump hiding in Gin's top. Grimmjow growled darkly as he watched the ever smiling man move closer to their infallible leader. "Get the fuck off me!" The blunette was rewarded with his head being slammed roughly against the table, dazing him momentarily.

Gin stopped and stared at Grimmjow, his usual smile faltering momentarily. Why was he being so possessive over the boy? Perhaps there was more going on than he had first assumed. His gaze was brought back to Aizen as the small child poked his head out from his baggy top. Gin's smile widened upon seeing the surprise flash across the shinigami's face.

"He was so cute," he said as he pulled the orange haired child from his clothing. "I couldn't say no." Gin then placed the barely clothed child on the table.

"Did Szayel experiment on Kurosaki?" the ex-captain questioned.

"Szayel was killed by a shinigami captain," Ulquiorra answered.

_So much for getting him to help change the brat back_, Grimmjow mentally sighed.

Aizen reached out to touch the child, only to have the small boy scowl at him and scoot away. Brown eyes connected with emerald green, silently ordering Ulquiorra to release Grimmjow. The Cuarto reluctantly did so. As Grimmjow stood to his full height, he glared at the Espada standing off to his side before turning his glare to Aizen. The brunet stood, with the intent to further inspect the child, but Ichigo wouldn't have any of that. Standing on the table, the toddler turned his large amber eyes to Grimmjow and rushed toward him.

"Kitty!" he cried out, a hint of fear in his voice. Cyan eyes softened as Grimmjow moved to collect the child and return to his room, however, Gin stepped in and snagged Ichigo first. Ichigo struggled against the firm hold of the silver haired shinigami. "Kitty!" he cried out again.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed on Gin as he growled, "Let him go."

"This is an interesting development," Aizen smiled slightly as he moved toward Gin.

Ichigo's squirming increased the closer the brunet got and Grimmjow's growling continued to grow in volume. The orangette stilled as Aizen reached out to touch his cheek, his large chocolate brown eyes wide with fear. The moment his skin made contact with the child's, Grimmjow was leaping at the brunet, prepared to rip his throat out. Before he could reach their so-called leader, Ulquiorra attacked and pinned him to the floor with relative ease.

Smile widening, Aizen moved to his pinned Sexta. "It seems you have grown attached to this shinigami in the time that he has been in your care." The blunet continued to growl darkly. "Perhaps we can use the child to our advantage. Gin," he turned to face his most trusted companion. "I will place the boy in your care. Find him some clothing that will... cover him." The shinigami's gaze returned to Grimmjow. "Ulquiorra, see to it that Grimmjow is returned to his quarters."

* * *

Much to both Espada's displeasure, Ulquiorra was forced to share his room with Grimmjow seeing as how the Sexta s was currently being repaired. The raven haired espada currently sat on his couch, eyes darting back and forth lazily across the page of the book he currently held. It wasn't all that interesting, but it did help distract his attention from the grumbling blunet lying on his couch.

"I'm not attached to the brat," Grimmjow grumbled.

"Of course not," came Ulquiorra's rather sarcastic reply.

The Sexta growled deeply as his cyan eyes narrowed on the raven haired arrancar. "I wasn't talking to you."

A tired sigh escaped his slightly parted lips as he returned his full focus back to his book. However it was short lived as the blunet continued to mumble to himself.

"Just wanted to finish my fight. I hate being interrupted."

Ulquiorra sighed again and fought the urge to roll his eyes. "If you feel nothing for the shinigami, why didn't you just kill him?"

"He's just a kid!" Grimmjow snapped as he bolted upright to glare darkly into emerald orbs.

"You seem to forget he was technically a child before." At this, the Sexta's eyebrow rose in slight confusion. "You know nothing of humans do you?" Grimmjow just grunted before standing and moving toward the door. Setting his book aside, the Cuarto stood, but made no move toward the other espada. "What are you doing?"

"None of your business," he shot back. Before the blunet could open the door, he found himself thrown to the floor, a foot pressed firmly against his chest.

"Aizen ordered me to _babysit_ you," the raven haired arrancar replied. "What you intend to do is my business." Grimmjow propped himself up on his elbows the second Ulquiorra removed his foot. However, the blunet suddenly found the Espada's sword lightly touching the dip in his neck, the cold steel pricking his flesh. "I hope you're not thinking of going to collect the shinigami. He is no longer under your care."

Cyan eyes narrowed on the espada as a growl issued from his throat. No one would stop him from doing as he pleased. Unfortunately, he knew he could not beat the Cuarto in a fight. That just meant he would have to think of a way to gain the upper hand. Grimmjow really hated thinking.

* * *

Gin ran a shaky hand through his silver locks. Ichigo was much easier to deal with when he was a teenager. But this... This toddler was more than a handful. Gin had bathed him, winding up more soapy and wet than the tiny shinigami. He had attempted to feed him which ended in a messy disaster and another bath. He had even tried to play with the child, but Ichigo just wouldn't have it. Currently, he was attempted to put the arrancar uniform on him, but was struggling to catch the blur of orange in order to cloth him.

The former captain was beyond surprised to find a uniform lying about that was small enough for him. The hakama was small and would no doubt look incredibly adorable on the child, that is if he could catch the naked boy long enough to force them on. Somehow during all the chasing, Ichigo had figured out how to shunpo which was making his current predicament that much more difficult. As the fuzzy head of orange blurred past him, Gin leapt into action, literally. He managed to pin the toddler down and quickly forced him into the white hakama with a black waist sash. The moment it was tied however, Ichigo darted off once more.

A weary sigh escaped the former captain as he moved to collect the top of the outfit from the small table in his quarters. The top was a mostly white long sleeves turtle neck like top. The black trim adorned the bust line as well as the hem around the bottom, the sleeves, and the top of the turtle neck. It would definitely suit the boy. That is, if he could catch him again to stuff him into it. Turning around, the silver haired shinigami noticed that the room was awfully quiet and still considering there was a rambunctious toddler within its walls.

One crystal blue eye peeked open in surprise. Ichigo was just standing there, staring at him, his head cocked to the side slightly in what appeared to be confusion. Not one to waste such a perfect opportunity, Gin hurriedly pulled the top over the unruly child. Ichigo huffed as his head managed to pop free from the confining fabric. Doe like amber eyes continued to stare questioning at the shinigami as he helped the toddler put his arms into the top.

"There," Gin said as he adjusted the top to sit properly on the boy. "Now don't you just look handsomely adorable." Gin frowned slightly as Ichigo continued to stare at him. No... He seemed to be looking past him.

Just then a deep chuckle resounded behind him, startling him slightly. "Gin, you would make the perfect mother."

Huffing, the silver haired shinigami stood to his full height and faced his guest. "That just means the world to me coming from you Aizen," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aizen merely chuckled and took a few steps closer to Ichigo in order to better examine the child. "The clothes suit him."

Silence fell over the room. Although it was odd for the child to be standing still and quiet at that, Gin chalked it up to Aizen's presence. Something about the man commanded order. Obviously it was strong enough for Ichigo to pick up on if he was being so obedient. Taking a few more steps toward the child, the brunet smiled as the trademark scowl replaced the look of wonder on the toddler's face.

"I can't help but wonder if he has retained his memories," the ex-captain thought aloud.

"There's no way to really tell," Gin replied. "If we could somehow change him back..."

The brunet cupped his chin in thought. "That could be a problem. Without knowing how he wound up like this, fixing it will be that much more difficult."

Much to Gin's dismay, the door opened suddenly, revealing a rather tired looking Starrk. Before the espada could utter a word, orange and white blurred past him, the empty hall behind him suddenly echoing with squeals and laughter. Unphased by the commotion, he bowed slightly to Aizen before speaking.

"The shinigami that were here and in the human world seem to have returned to Soul Society."

"Thank you Starrk," the brunet replied, dismissing the espada before turning his attention back to his silver haired companion. "Gin?"

The former captain sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly as he exited the room and headed down the hall in order to bring the child back.

* * *

Berry missed Kitty. He liked to play with Kitty more than the creepy smiling man. Kitty would play back whereas creepy smiling man would just sigh and go about doing what he was doing. So the second the door had opened, Berry had rushed out to his freedom. He would stop every time he came across a door and push it open in hopes of finding his blue haired friend. After turning down yet another white hallway, the little Berry was ready to call it quits. However, when he turned back around, he realized that all the halls looked the same.

Poor Berry was lost.

His footsteps slowly came to a step as a soft sniffling began to echo in the vast halls. Not only was his search for Kitty fruitless, but now he was lost and scared of who could possibly find him. "Kitty," he sobbed softly. "Berry miss Kitty!"

Just as the tears began to spill over, his sobbing turned vocal. Hands balled up covering his eyes, the small child sank to his knees. He stayed there crying for quite some time before his cries of anguish turned back to soft sobs and sniffles.

"Whadda we have here?" a deep voice rasped behind him.

Ichigo's sobbing stopped instantly, his hands lowering slowly away from his face as he turned his wide amber eyes to the freakishly tall newcomer. The raven haired man's smile was wide and disturbing. One good eye leered down at the child, his disturbing smile seemingly widening even more as he adjusted the large crescent shaped weapon on his shoulder.

"Well," the arrancar cooed. "Yer that shinigami Grimm was fightin' ain'tcha?" The man leaned forward getting a better look at the orangette. "Yer a bit smaller than I remember."

"K-ki-kitty..."

"Kitty ain't here," Nnoitra sneered, his gripped tightening on his weapon. "An' yer still the enemy." Shifting it off his shoulder, he pulled it back before swinging it at the frightened toddler, his cackle resounding in the vast halls of Las Noches.

* * *

(**A/N:** I am so sorry for the super long delay in releasing this chapter. I could give you all a million reasons as to why I haven't updated, but I'm certain you're just happy that I updated. I am working on the ending to Love Call so don't worry about that.)

**Thank you all so much for all the reviews/follows/faves! They mean the world to me and I love you all! =)**


	4. Ichigo Be Quick

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Four - Ichigo Be Nimble, Ichigo Be Quick, Ichigo Jump Over the Nnoitra Stick!**

* * *

Nnoitra's crescent shaped sword swung through the air, posed to slice his small target in half. The Espada's one good eye widened as he watched the small orangette dive between his legs at the very last second causing his weapon to collide roughly with the tiled floor. A muttered curse escaped his lips as a small shockwave was sent up his arm. Turning, he quickly spots the child dashing off down the hall. Giving a firm tug to his weapon, he pulled it free and turned to give chase.

"Get back here!" he hollered.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder, his amber eyes as wide as possible and filled with fear. Nnoitra smirked upon seeing such a scared look before hurling his weapon at the child. The tiny shinigami jumped, his timing perfect, narrowly missing the strike that would have surely been his end. Smirk disappearing, Nnoitra tugs the chain, pulling his weapon back. The Espada clicked his tongue against his teeth as he watched the boy dash down a joining hall.

Stepping quickly with a sonido, Nnoitra caught up instantly, quickly snatching Ichigo by the back of his shirt before he could get too far. The boy gave a loud scream as the lanky arrancar smiled widely as he turned the child to look him in the face. Opening his mouth, Nnoitra stuck out his tongue, preparing to do his trademark cero. However, before he could charge it up, Ichigo his tongue firmly and yanked as hard as he could. Eye widening, Nnoitra shook the child in his hold roughly for a moment before Ichigo finally released his hold on the appendage.

The Espada pulled his tongue back into his mouth for a moment before attempting the cero again. This time however, Ichigo poked Nnoitra's one good eye causing him to jerk his head back and curse as he dropped the child. The moment Ichigo's feet touch the floor, he's running at top speed down the hall. Instead of a scream however, he lets loose a loud squeal.

"He's enjoyin' this!" Nnoitra growled as he blinked his eye a few times to rid it of the stinging sensation. A second later and he's back to chasing the brat, weapon at the ready.

Throughout the halls swearing and laughter can be heard echoing loudly. Just when Nnoitra thought he had the upper hand, Ichigo easily turned it around. The chase became a bit more difficult as the child began to use shunpo to run even faster. The Espada had a rather difficult time keeping up.

Finally the two began to quickly approach the large doors leading out of Las Noches. In a last ditch effort to stop the boy, Nnoitra hurled his weapon a good distance ahead of the brat. After all, he couldn't exactly let him leave... Alive anyway. With a big burst of dust and small rubble, the weapon imbedded itself into the wall. Nnoitra continued to run toward the spot his weapon landed and smirked upon seeing the brat's hakama caught on the blade, pinning him to the wall.

Ichigo yanked a few times, unable to free the material before turning to look at the Espada heading toward him. His chaser was getting too close, and the child wasn't yet ready to quit the game. Grabbing the fabric once more, Ichigo began to tug much harder. This time he's much more successful as the sound of ripping fabric echoes softly. Once freed, the orange haired toddler fell backward onto his behind. Nnoitra's smirk disappeared and his loud growl filled the hall.

"Yer not gettin' away!" he shouted as he gave a harsh jerk to the chain of his weapon, dislodging it from the wall and hurling it toward himself. Much to the Espada's horror, he miscalculated his weapon's trajectory as he had continued to rush toward the boy. Instead of the handle falling into his hand as it should have, it collided firmly with his face. "Fuuu-" was all he managed to get out before it was lights out for the Quinto.

Ichigo blinked a few times as he watched the tall lanky man fall to the cold tiled floor. Standing, the child moved over to the unconscious arrancar and poked his cheek a few times. Receiving no response, he climbed onto the man's back, pushing his shoulders a few times in an attempt to rouse him. This too failed, so Ichigo was forced to use his last idea. Standing on Nnoitra's back, the child bent his knees before kicking off, only to land in the same spot. A rush of air passed between the raven haired Espada's lips, but there were no other signs of life.

"Up Buggy! Up!" Ichigo demanded as he continued to jump on the unconscious arrancar's back. "Play!"

Just when the tiny shinigami thought he was finally making progress, he stopped upon feeling as if he were being watched. He didn't even get the opportunity to turn and check before a yelp escaped him as he was grabbed harshly by the back of his collar.

* * *

The harsh clang of metal striking metal resounded in the small room that contained both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Unable to think of an escape plan, Grimmjow had merely resorted to fighting, hoping to gain the upper hand. He still had the tiny device that could be used as a temporary prison. If only he could get close enough to the Cuarto to use it.

"This is foolish," Ulquiorra spat, his voice even and monotonous even as he did so.

"Tch, you're just saying that because you're worried I'll beat you!"

Grimmjow suddenly wished he hadn't taunted the other Espada as he found himself blasted by a quick cero. It wasn't strong enough to damage his hierro, but it caught him off guard and knocked him off balance. Ulquiorra took advantage of this and charged toward the blunet, katana at the ready. A piercing scream cut through the tension in the room causing both to stop fighting and turn in the general direction of the scream.

"It's the brat," Grimmjow growled. He recognized it instantly. And it wasn't one of his happy squeals either, it was a scream of pure terror.

Sheathing his sword, he tore out of the room, Ulquiorra hot on his heels. The two scanned the halls searching for the owner of the scream, but coming up empty handed. For a moment, Grimmjow could have sworn he heard a squeal quickly followed by laughter, but it was faint. It could have easily been his mind trying to provide him with something to ease his worry about the orange headed shinigami. The two turned down another hall and halted as they spotted Nnoitra sprawled out cold on the floor.

Hurrying over to him, Grimmjow gave a harsh kick to the Espada's side. "Hey! Get your ass up!"

Grunting from the kick, Nnoitra seemingly stirred. Climbing to his feet, he clutched his head and shook it slightly trying to get his bearings back. "What?" he growled as he stood to his full height, a glare aimed down at the blunet.

"Where's the shinigami brat?"

"Fuck you," the Quinto spat before continuing to mumble to himself as he collected his weapon and stormed off.

"Dammit Nnoitra!" Grimmjow swore. "What did you-"

Ulquiorra cut him off with a firm hand on his shoulder. "The shinigami is fine. I can still sense his reiatsu." Removing his hand from the arrancar's shoulder, the raven haired Espada shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the hall, following the toddler's unique energy.

Blue orbs widened ever so slightly. It was almost as if Ulquiorra were comforting him. Which was rather odd considering the hollow kept to himself and only ever really listened to Aizen. Thrusting his hands into his pockets as well, he began to follow the higher ranked Espada. Silence surrounded the two as the seemingly backtracked to the wing dedicated to the Espada's living quarters. They passed by Ulquiorra's room and began heading toward the hall that the top three Espada resided in.

Suddenly, Ulquiorra stopped right in front of the first door they came across. Raising an eyebrow, blue eyes stared at the Cuarto.

"Here?"

"It's where his reiatsu is strongest," the Espada shrugged.

Grimmjow held his breath unknowingly as the raven haired arrancar grabbed the door handle firmly before slowly twisting it. Shifting his weight slightly, he swung the door open and stepped inside, followed closely by the blunet. The sight that greeted blue eyes forced him to smile slightly while shaking his head.

There Ichigo was, on the floor, bounded tightly by a blanket and some rope, rolling happily around the floor. Hallibel sat on the couch, content with watching the ridiculous child. A sigh escaped Grimmjow causing the small orangette to gaze in wonderment in general direction of the noise. Grimmjow could feel his chest tighten as he watched that look of curiosity change into the most delighted and happy look he had seen on the child thus far.

"Kitty!" Ichigo squealed.

Hallibel couldn't refrain from chuckling at this. Blue eyes glared darkly at her as she spoke. "I apologize, but the nickname is rather suiting of you."

"Why is he tied up?" Ulquiorra interjected, preventing the blunet from attacking the blonde.

"I figured he would be much less destructive confined like this. After all, he somehow knocked Nnoitra unconscious."

The room instantly filled with a booming laugh as Grimmjow threw his head back and let loose. He would never let that bastard live this down. Ichigo joined in with the laughter, but obviously oblivious as to why the big kitty was laughing. It took a moment, but the blunet finally calmed down. His gaze returned to the child on the floor, who had resumed to rolling around in his binding.

Ichigo stopped and turned to look at Hallibel. "Fishy let Berry go?"

Hallibel flushed faintly at the nickname as was rewarded with more laughter from Grimmjow. She quickly put an end to it by throwing a hot cup of tea at the Sexta's face. Turning her attention away from the now spazzing Espada, she quickly untied the small shinigami. Before the toddler could dash toward his favorite play mate, the door opened to reveal a rather weary looking Gin.

His face relaxed slightly upon seeing the child. "Oh there you are." Stepping into the room, the silver haired ex-captain moved to collect the child.

"No!" Ichigo shouted, shaking his head furiously as he backed away from the shinigami.

"I don't like this arrangement any better than you," Gin sighed as he rushed to snag the orangette before he could run off.

The moment he placed his hands on the now crying boy's shoulders, he felt an immense reiatsu filling the room. Peeking one icy silver eye open, he turned his head slowly to see Grimmjow growling softly at him. A soft chuckle forced his other eye open as he snapped his head toward the source.

"Hallibel?" he questioned.

"I suggest you back away," the blonde responded, her voice filled with amusement. "That is, unless you enjoy the idea of your arms being ripped from your body."

Sighing heavily, the silver haired man lowered his arms and backed away from Ichigo, watching as the child ran straight toward the blunet, clinging tightly to his leg. Grimmjow's reiatsu immediately reeled in and his scowl disappeared to be replaced with a momentary smile.

Standing to his full height, Gin watched the pair before he finally spoke. "What's really going on between you two?"

"Not a damn thing," Grimmjow snapped back glaring at Aizen's underling, to which Hallibel chuckled once more. His glare shifted to her. "What the hell is so funny to you?"

"I'm surprised you haven't realized it yourself," she answered.

"If you could please explain what you find so amusing about this situation, I would greatly appreciate it." Gin seemingly begged of the Espada woman. He was at his wit's end with the child and Aizen would definitely disapprove of the relationship the Sexta and shinigami had seemingly formed in a short amount of time.

"Grimmjow is a feline type and felines are incredibly possessive over what they believe to be theirs," the blonde started as she moved to seat herself back onto her couch. Crossing her arms, she allowed the data to sink in before continuing. "Kurosaki is Grimmjow's adversary, his rival. I assume he feels he is the only one permitted to end the shinigami's life. I also assume this possessiveness extended to his new much younger form."

"Wouldn't he have just killed the child then?" Ulquiorra chimed in, thoroughly confused as to why that seemed to explain everything.

"No," Hallibel said. "Felines are also protective over their young. I'm not sure why, but his instincts seem to be under the belief Kurosaki is his young and he's treating him as such."

"The hell I am," snapped Grimmjow. "I'm just getting him healed up so we can finish our fight."

"In any case, we should inform Aizen of this before making any sort of decision on the matter." Gin headed for the door, knowing that the three Espada's and Ichigo would follow.

Ulquiorra exited the room first, following quickly by a quite pleased looking Hallibel. Just as Grimmjow turned to follow, he felt a harsh tugging on his hakama. Looking down, his eyes connected with beautiful amber orbs.

"Up Kitty!" Ichigo demanded.

Grimmjow let out a puff of air before a soft smile appeared on his face. "Just this once," he relented.

Crouching down he allowed the child to climb up his back and situate himself behind his head. Two little legs peeked out from either side of the Espada's neck, as his hand held two fistfuls of spiky blue hair gently. Slowly getting to his feet, Grimmjow exited the room and headed for the meeting hall; hoping Aizen wouldn't separate them again.

* * *

**A/N**: Woo~ An update! Just so you guys know, I have the next couple of chapters outlined! Yeah I'm finally doing it like I've been saying I should for a long time now. XD As some of you may know, I am working on my very first novel (Yay!) and am going to be focusing on that more than my fics. I will update one fic every other week, most likely on a Monday. For now, the updates will be for this fic, but when I have others prepared for an update, I will let the reviewers choose. Basically what Vaerin7 does with her fics. It seems to work for her, so why not me? ^.^ As always, if you read it, please review it!

**Thank you for all the reviews/faves/follows! They mean the world to me! ^.^**


	5. Protecting the Enemy

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Five - Protecting the Enemy**

* * *

Drumming his fingers absent mindedly against the cold stone of his throne, brown eyes bored into the dull hougyoku. He had tried all he could think of to bring back the eerie glow to the stone, and every attempt ended in failure. He needed the hougyoku in order to complete his plans, but at this rate, the war would forever remain a stalemate. Sighing, he stopped his fingers as he felt a mingle of reiatsu approaching the throne room. Aizen resisted the urge to plow his hand through his slick brunet locks.

"What could it possibly be now?" he muttered just as the large doors opened.

The small entourage quietly entered the throne room and moved quickly toward the raised throne. Aizen's eyes fell to the orange head hiding behind unruly blue spikes. Before he could question this however, his most trusted companion spoke.

"A rather compelling explanation as to our favorite blue haired Espada s current behavior has been brought to my attention," Gin sated as he took a few steps toward the throne so that he stood in front of Grimmjow.

The blunet scowled, but remained silent. He still thought Hallibel's reasoning was ridiculous, even if it did explain a few things he was uncertain about.

A lone brown brow rose at this, curiosity peeked. "Oh?" the brunet cooed.

The ex-captain nodded his head before continuing. "It seems his instincts are tellin' him to take care of Ichigo."

"Be that as it may, I hardly find an Espada's instinct to be persuasive enough in order for me to change my mind on this matter." Aizen closed his eyes as he allowed the information to sink into his audience. "It seems the shinigami is proving to be a nuisance more so than a benefit to our cause." The vast room was silent for a moment before their leader opened his eyes once again, uttering a single command. "Kill him."

"What?!" Was all Grimmjow could get out before a creepily smiling Gin turned on him, lunging for the child resting on his shoulders.

The Sexta jerked back, dodging the silver haired shinigami's grasp. However, this move caused Ichigo to slide back off of his shoulders as the child was unprepared for such a move. The orangette landed roughly on the cold tiled floor, a sharp yelp bouncing off the walls. Before the toddler could climb to his feet, his large amber eyes spotted a glowing green light aimed at him. Just as Ulquiorra's cero fired off, Grimmjow collected the child, using sonido to escape the hall.

Aizen gave a quick nod at the group before they flitted off after Grimmjow and the shinigami.

Grimmjow knew he was outmatched with this latest development. If he couldn't beat Ulquiorra then he would stand a chance in hell against Hallibel let alone Ichimaru. Rushing down the halls, he ducked behind a corridor just as a cero was fired off in his general direction. Cyan eyes shifted down momentarily to gaze at the confused child clinging tightly to his jacket.

"Look kid," he started as he slipped into adjoining hall, his feet never faltering once. "I know you don't want to, but this is where we part ways."

If he could get outside, he would have enough room to open a Gargantua. From there he'd have a better shot of getting the brat back to his shinigami friends in one piece. Of course, he'd be caught and killed either way. If not by the shinigami, by Aizen himself. He was going against his orders by snatching the kid and running, but Grimmjow wasn't exactly known for following directions.

Hurrying down another hall, the blunet growled as he was quickly greeted by a dead end. Just as he turned around to try another route, he was greeted by Ichimaru smiling widely at him.

"Maa, why don't ya give up this silly chase and hand him over?" he questioned, smile not faltering in the slightest.

"Blow me," the Sexta responded, a smirk tugging at his lips as he turned and fired a quick cero, blasting a hole in the wall.

The new path unfortunately led him directly to Ulquiorra and Hallibel. "This is pointless," the blonde sighed, arms crossed.

Just as Ulquiorra stepped forward, his hand moving to his katana, a blade shot forth and collided with Grimmjow's side. The blunet was knocked back, dropping Ichigo in the process. Nnoitra pulled his weapon back, cackling loudly as he did so.

"Woo, I've been waitin' fer the day that I'd get ta kill ya!" he exclaimed happily.

Grimmjow rolled onto his hands and knees, blood pouring from the long wound, as he tried to get to his feet to get to Ichigo before someone else did. Thankfully he didn't have to move at all as the orangette had hurried over to him, eyes wide and starting to gloss over.

"Kitty," he whimpered.

"Don't worry about me kid," the blunet smirked. "I've suffered much worse than this."

Allowing the child to cling to his neck once more, Grimmjow moved to unsheathe Pantera. As much as he didn't want to admit it, all he needed was an opening and then he'd be able to get the kid out of there before having to face his punishment. Before he could fully unsheathe his kanata, Ulquiorra rushed in. Their swords collided with a resounding clang before they broke apart, only to clash against each other once more. Unfortunately, Grimmjow not only had to fend off the Cuarto's advances, but Nnoitra's weapon as well. Hallibel and Ichimaru seemed content with just watching.

Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew the tiny black object he had swiped from Szayel's room earlier and quickly used sonido to get behind and above Ulquiorra. Green eyes widened as the black object slowly fell into his hollow hole. Suddenly a large black box of reishi surrounded the Espada, completely concealing him before disappearing. Nnoitra's eye widened for a moment before he shot in right after, hoping to catch Grimmjow off guard. He was unlucky as the blunet rushed in, surprising him. He jerked his weapon back, unable to see it's trajectory as Grimmjow was directly in front of his face smirking widely. Before the sword could hit him, the blunet flitted out of the way, leaving the weapon to collide with the Quinto's face, knocking him unconscious.

"Now I know how Ichigo knocked you out," he chuckled.

Blue eyes shifted to Hallibel who had yet to move from her vantage point. He knew she wouldn't attack. The woman had moral and honor to uphold. She wouldn't attack Grimmjow as long as Ichigo remained on his back. That only left... His eyes shifted around the room quickly searching for the sneaky silver haired bastard.

"Ikorose, Shinsou."

Grimmjow quickly turned on his heel and watched in slow motion as the short sword elongated and headed straight for him. There was no way he could dodge the attack aimed at his head in time. It would pierce his skull and then the child's clinging to his back. He should have taken the bastard out first. It was too late now. If only he had left the brat back in the sands during their fight he could be relaxing right killing some hollows or shinigami.

"Enough," a deep voice sternly commanded.

Cyan orbs widened slightly as the sword stopped mere centimeters from his face. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow and the Sexta turned to the hall as the clacking of footfalls echoed.

Aizen entered the room, a smile on his face as he took in the scene before him. "You were right Gin," he said, halting his movements. The ex-captain withdrew his zanpakutou and sheathed it. "It seems it would be in our best interest to allow Grimmjow the privilege of watching over Ichigo. After all, I'd rather not lose what little Espada we have left."

Furious, Grimmjow turns completely to face their leader, wincing slightly as the wound on his side suddenly stings. "You mean this was all just some stupid test?!"

The brunet smiled. "Of course. I couldn't very well have you going in knowing it was a test. You wouldn't have been able to properly prove your devotion to the child for me."

Grimmjow growled lowly in his throat as Aizen and Ichimaru exited the room, followed quickly by Hallibel. His rage boiling at being made a fool of pooling into his hand. Finally bursting, the blunet let out a wild yell before blasting the cero through the opposite wall.

* * *

It had taken a bit of work to get his wound to stop bleeding, but the Espada was successful in doing so. It would only take a few more hours for the wound to close up entirely leaving no trace behind. Cyan eyes shifted to stare at the fluffy head of orange playing quietly with some gauze he had found lying around in Szayel's lab. As if sensing his gaze, Ichigo turned his head upward, his amber eyes staring questioningly at the blunet. A small smile tugged at the corners of Grimmjow's mouth before he reached down to rub the toddler's head, messing up his already messy hair.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was glad Aizen was merely testing him. He knew it would have ended much differently if he truly wanted the kid dead. They probably wouldn't have even been given the head start, let alone a warning. Aizen would have most likely done the deed himself.

He watched quietly as he saw a chubby hand reach up and rub an eye tiredly as a soft yawn consumed his small round face. Grimmjow smirked. At least Ichigo had managed to wear himself out so the already tired and aching Espada wouldn't have to. Standing, he led Ichigo out of the lab and toward their room.

It wasn't until they arrived at the doorway that he remembered what had started the entire incident in the first place. Eyes scanning the room, he determined it would definitely be uninhabitable for the time being. At least the water had stopped spraying everywhere. Of course, not until after the room was good and flooded though.

Sighing, Grimmjow turned to look for another place to crash for the night; a tired Ichigo lagging a bit behind. Their best bet would be to swipe the room of a deceased Espada. Grimmjow instantly ruled out Szayel's room as it was in his labyrinth of a laboratory. He did not want to have to deal with the possible explosion resulting in the child playing there. He knew that both the 9th and 7th were taken out by shinigami.

The two walked slowly to the lower Espada's quarters. The closest room was Aaronierro's room. Opening the door, the two peeked inside only to be greeted with vast darkness. Grimmjow's large hand felt around for a switch for some sort of light, but found none. He looked to the orangette who was now rubbing both eyes tiredly.

"Don't suppose you could deal with pitch black all the time?" he asked.

Ichigo furiously shook his head. Closing the door, the two headed toward their next option; Zommari. His was down a different hall, but they arrived there quickly enough. As the Sexta's large hand wrapped around the knob he turned to see the kid lagging quite a bit behind. Opening the door, he stuck his head in before quickly pulling it back out and shutting the door loudly.

"No. No way in hell," he breathed.

Zommari's room was filled with numerous burning candles as well as hundreds of those creepy eyes painted all over the walls and floors. A shudder ran down the Arrancar's spine. He knew the guy was creepy, but not to that extent. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair before turning his gaze back to the shinigami brat. A soft chuckle escaped him as the kid had passed out on the floor in the middle of the hall. Stepping quietly, he moved to collect Ichigo. He wasn't sure if shinigami could get sick the same way humans did, but he really didn't want to find out.

The blunet began heading for Hallibel's room. At least he knew she would let the kid sleep in her room until he could get his fixed up. Just as he reached the hall containing the top three Espada's rooms, a familiar shaggy head of brown exited one of the rooms.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Starrk questioned as he suppressed a yawn.

"Gonna see if Hallibel will let the brat sleep in her room. He wrecked mine so there's no place for him to sleep." Grimmjow resisted the urge to shift his feet. Although he wasn't entirely sure why, the Primera always made him feel uneasy when it was just the two of them.

"Ah," the brunet yawned as he stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking toward the throne room. "You can have Barragan's room," he called back. "Killed by shinigami."

Grimmjow watched as the Espada disappear down the hall before he turned around and continued walking, passing Hallibel's room in the process. Stopping in front of the Segundo's door, he took a deep breath and shifted the toddler in his arms before opening the door. Cyan eyes widened at the beautiful sight before him.

Now Grimmjow had always considered himself a king. However Barragan had apparently lived like a king. The massive four poster bed was large enough so that all the remaining Espada could lie on comfortably. The door to the bath was open and from what he could see it was set into the floor and was more like a swimming pool than a tub. There were large cushions spread all across the floor as well as an entire white sofa set. Mindlessly entering the room, Grimmjow gentle plopped Ichigo onto one of the many cushions before flopping head first onto the large bed, passing out almost instantly.

* * *

Dilated blue eyes slowly peeled open. Grimmjow was unsure as to what had caused him to be pulled from a dead sleep in the darkened room and he didn't really care to find out what it was. Closing his eyes, he burrowed deeper into the plush bed, slowly drifting back to sleep. Just as he was on the brink of blissful sleep, a soft whimper snapped him back to consciousness.

"What the hell?" he grumbled as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

The whimper sounded again, followed by rustling and a pain filled moan. Growing worried, the blunet moved off the comfortable bed and scanned the room. His gaze fell onto the cushion he had set the child on previously. He slowly approached the orangette, his eyes never leaving the boy.

Ichigo was curled up tightly on the cushion, his small hands clinging tightly to the fabric of his hakama. He was trembling, whether it was from whatever ailed him or he was cold, the Espada wasn't certain. Grimmjow moves to retrieve a blanket from the bed, in hopes of settling the child without waking him, but stops as the shinigami parts his lips, a single word falling from his lips.

"Mom..."

It's then Grimmjow notices the tears staining his cheeks. Reaching out, he gently wakes the toddler, his breath catching in his throat at the sad and pain filled look in those large amber orbs. Something happened to the kid, something awful. Pushing his curiosity aside, he collects the quietly sobbing orangette. Ichigo clings tightly to the Sexta, his face buried in his chest. Grimmjow settles onto the bed, Ichigo burrowing into his side as the two drift back into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N**: It's a day late, but my kids have been sick so I haven't had too much free time to work on this. Sadly this is the last update for this fic for a bit. I need to plot it out a bit more before I can update it again. I have about 8 chapters plotted out for Yakusoku, so I'll be updating that one for a while.

**Thanks for all the reviews/faves/follows! They mean the world to me! : )**


	6. Back to Normal?

~As always, I only own the plot. I don't own the series or characters so don't sue me.

**Chapter Six - Back to Normal?**

* * *

Amber eyes slowly fluttered open, spotting bright blue gazing mischievously back at him. Eyes falling shut, the orangette began to fall back into slumber, for just a moment. When his sleep addled mind finally placed those shockingly bright blue eyes, his own snapped back open.

"Morning Shinigami," Grimmjow grinned ferally.

A loud, rather unmanly, scream echoed off the vast walls of Las Noches. Ichigo leapt from the bed, taking the sheet with him as he barely managed to scurry away from the apparently excited Espada, narrowly dodging a cero in the process. What the hell was going on? Why was he sleeping next to the deranged arrancar bent on destroying everything in sight? As he rounded the corridor, he could hear the blunet's insane laughter echoing after him.

"Oh god I missed this!" he bellowed, giving chase to the seemingly recovered powerful shinigami. At first he thought he was still dreaming when he spotted that slender face just a short while ago, but when those narrow amber orbs had opened, clouded with sleep, the blunet could no longer resist. "Come on shinigami! Stop running and fight me!" Grimmjow shouted, blasting another cero, causing the orangette to trip.

Ichigo scrambled to his feet, eyes widening as the sheet began to slide off revealing more smooth tanned skin than he would have liked. "I'm naked!?" he screeched, pulling the sheet up. "Why the hell am I naked!?" This just didn't make any sense at all. So not only had he apparently been sharing a bed with that bastard, he had also done so naked. They didn't... Did they?

His face turned bright red as the teen burst through the large doors leading to the meeting hall. He was quickly becoming cornered and they both knew it. The fear of possible dying, naked mind you, was enough to snap Ichigo out of his stupor. Scowling, his gaze quickly swept over the hall, looking for a weapon of some sort. Immense relief washed over the shinigami as he spotted Tensa Zangetsu on the large table. Not wasting any more time, he dove for it, turning just in time to block Pantera from burying itself deep in his chest.

"Not bad," Grimmjow smiled ear to ear, his unusually sharp canines saying hello. "Here I was worried you had gone rusty being a kid the past few days."

"Kid?" he blinked in confusion momentarily, before pushing those thoughts, and the blunet aside.

Swords continued to clash for a few moments, before Ichigo felt himself growing more and more tired. His vision began to blur and he was panting heavily. Grimmjow thought that maybe it was far too soon for a fight with the shinigami, but couldn't stop himself at this point even if he wanted to. Charging in, he prepared to do some heavy damage with an up close cero, one that would be difficult to block even for the powerful teen. The blunet could stop his smile from widening as Ichigo pulled back, preparing to unleash his trademark Getsuga Tenshou. However, things would not go as planned. Just as the mixture of shinigami and hollow energy began to pool into the katana, there was a quick puff of smoke, the metal clanging against the cold tiled floor loudly as Ichigo reverted back to a toddler.

Cyan orbs widened, unable to stop his attack as a head of orange poked out from the sheet, looking bewildered. Just as the cero released from his hand and barreled straight toward the brat, a wall of reishi seemingly blocked it, the cero fizzing out with an audible pop. Grimmjow looked off to the side as his feet connected loudly with the floor.

"Were my orders not clear enough Grimmjow?" the brunet questioned, his lips forming a tight line.

Said Espada swallowed hard. "He turned back. I swear!"

Aizen sighed, moving over to the toddler tangled in the sheet. "Perhaps you were hallucinating. I understand your desire to finish your fight with Kurosaki, however, you must control that urge. You might accidentally kill him before we can fully use him."

Grimmjow groaned heavily at this. He had more self-restraint than everyone gave him credit for. Okay, so maybe that chair had caught him on a bad day last week. If it hadn't caused him to trip, he wouldn't have been forced to cero the damn thing.

The former captain sighed as he collected the child before handing him over to his Sexta. "Don't withdraw your zanpakutou on him again or I'll have Ulquiorra babysit you as well."

A single blue eyebrow twitched at this threat. He really hated that raven haired bastard and he'd be damned if Aizen would put him through that kind of torture. He'd readily hand himself over to the shinigami before that happened. With a huff, he gazed down at the orangette he held awkwardly. He was still clothed in the white uniform Ichimaru had shoved him into the previous day. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing...

His anger and frustration with the tiny shinigami returned tenfold as a tiny finger poked his uncovered cheek roughly as he giggled. With a huff, Grimmjow tucked the brat under his arm and headed back toward his new lavish quarters.

* * *

The meeting hall was stuffy, filled with numerous voices bickering back and forth. Various states of injury existed in all the captains present, except for the three that went to Hueco Mundo. They had sustained absolutely no injuries... Well Kenpachi had, but that man was a brick wall and it would take more than some lousy Espada to force him into bed rest.

"I knew it!" the second division captain shouted. "We should have killed that brat when he first came to Soul Society!"

"Oi," Kenpachi snapped. "Don'tcha think that's a bit harsh? Kid's incredibly strong. It would've been a waste to destroy such raw talent."

"Ah, but he's caused us a lot more trouble than benefit in the long run," a disgruntled Hitsugaya added. It wasn't that he wanted Ichigo killed or anything, but he wasn't really too much of an asset to them anymore.

"Come on, cut the kid some slack," Kyouraku chimed in. "I'd like to see you juggle being a shinigami daikou and a 15 year old boy at the same time."

His partner in crime, Ukitake, chuckled lightly at this. "I do find it odd that Kurosaki-san seemed to miss out on the final battle. Perhaps-"

A loud thump echoed in the hall, effectively silencing the shinigami captains. "Where is Kurosaki Ichigo?" Yamamoto bellowed his features stoic as ever.

"I did not see him as I was healing the others," Unohana replied.

"Kuchiki-taichou?" the old man's eyes shifted ever so slightly to the right side of the room where the soft spoken captain stood.

"After locating Abarai-fukutaichou, we were able to successfully rescue the human, Inoue Orihime," he paused, as his eyes slid shut for a moment before opening again. "However, we could not locate Kurosaki Ichigo."

Silence fell over the room. This was unexpected. Usually the fiery orange haired teen was never too far from the battle at hand. Unohana was specifically sent to Hueco Mundo with the others to heal him so that he could lend his incredible strength to the captains in the final battle. Add to the fact that even though Aizen was winning, painfully so, he seemed to retreat before accomplishing his goal. The brunet had obviously known the town they fought in was a mere copy; a fake. Even so, he still fled with most of his Espada still intact while the shinigami were left in shambles.

"Something is amiss," the head captain muttered softly.

"He must still be in Hueco Mundo," a new voice blurted out. All eyes turned to the open doors to see the auburn high school girl standing there. "I was the last one to see Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted as guards snatched her and began to drag her out.

Yamamoto's attention was completely devoted to her at this point, wanting to hear what valuable information she had. "Speak," he demanded, the guards releasing her in turn.

"Kurosaki-kun was fighting against Grimmjow, err, an Espada in his released form." The girl took a deep stilling breath. It was quite intimidating to be talking in front of all those powerful shinigami captains. "Kurosaki-kun took a hit and flew across the sand. However, when the smoke cleared he was gone. Only his clothes were left behind. The Espada seemed panicked afterward and fled, carrying something in his arms."

"That is most unusual indeed," Yamamoto replied. "I fear the attack on Karakura may have just been a ruse in order to obtain the shinigami daikou." His eyes closing in thought briefly. "It seems it is our turn to do the rescuing for once." His gaze shifted back over to the sixth vision captain. "Kuchiki-taichou. I will give you a week to gather shinigami willing to storm Las Noches in order to further investigate the whereabouts of Kurosaki Ichigo. Zaraki-taichou will join you as well." His cane slammed loudly against the floor, signaling the end of their brief meeting.

* * *

Grimmjow stared in surprise after hearing the little brat sneeze. He'd never admit it out loud, let alone to himself, but it actually sounded incredibly cute. He couldn't resist the smile that formed as he watched the toddler wipe his nose on his long sleeve. "Oi," he called out, successfully garnering the kid's attention. "What do you wanna do?"

Ever so cutely, a small hand rose up to Ichigo's face, a single finger resting against his chin as his large doe-like eyes gazed at the ceiling in thought. After a moment, a bright smile broke out on his face. "Hide!"

The blunet blinked a bit confused at this statement. "What's the point in that?" Huffing, Ichigo hopped from the large sofa and moved over to the ridiculous sized bed. Climbing up, he crawled over to the Espada and covered his eyes with his small hands. "The hell do you think you're doing brat?" he growled.

"Count!" the orangette ordered.

"Err... Okay." Well this was new. Might as well just go with it to kill some time. "How high?"

Removing his hands, the boy smiled brightly again, which caused Grimmjow's heart to skip a beat. No it didn't. He swore it didn't. Besides, he didn't have a heart. Being hollow and all meant no heart.

"A million!"

That would take an hour at least! "I ain't countin' to a million brat." There was a pause as that chubby face visibly fell in disappointment. "How bout 10, yeah?"

Ichigo nodded happily and hopped from the bed. Grimmjow started to count as he watched the brat look around the room curiously. When he turned and noticed the blunet was watching him intently, he scowled. "No cheating!"

Cyan orbs blinked in surprise. Well that had been highly unexpected. How was he cheating? He told him to count after he... Oh! Maybe he was supposed to cover his eyes? Bringing large sun-kissed hand up, he covered his eyes, peeking through his fingers to make certain this was what he was supposed to do. He was not expecting the pillow to collide with his face.

"No cheating!" Ichigo cried again.

"Okay okay," Grimmjow smiled. No, he smirked. He did not smile for that brat. Internally growling, he started counting over again. "Okay now what?" he questioned the kid when he reached ten. When there was no reply, he uncovered his eyes and looked around curiously. "Now what brat?" Still silence. His eyes spotted a tiny little foot sticking out, just slightly from behind the couch. Using sonido, because he really wanted to scare the kid, a ferally grinning Grimmjow appeared suddenly behind the orangette. Bending over, he grabbed the brat by the back of his top, hoisting him up and relishing in the startled squeak that emitted from his pale pouty lips.

"Found me!" Ichigo squealed happily.

"Yeah, and? Why were you hiding?" This brat, although amusing, confused the hell out of him more often than not.

"Game," the youth replied. "I hide. You count."

Oh it was a game huh. Well, Grimmjow was never one to back down from a challenge. Setting the child down, he moved back to his spot on the comfortable bed and continued with his role of hunting. After a couple rounds, the Espada stopped moving from the bed as it was starting to get boring. "In the closet," he said suddenly. This was followed by another exclamation from the toddler before he emerged. After more counting, the blunet sighed as he shifted to hang over the edge of the bed, peering under the furniture. "This is getting boring," he deadpanned.

Ichigo huffed as he crawled out from under the bed. "No fun," he grumbled.

"Oh yeah, I'm just some huge stick in the mud," Grimmjow retorted. "If ya really don't like fun, hang with Ulquiorra. That guy does nothing but read." The blunet rolled onto his back, his head dangling over the edge of the bed, messy blue locks becoming messier by default. Suddenly, without warning, soft small lips press lightly against his own. Blue eyes impossibly wide, Grimmjow bolts upright on the bed, turning his bright red face to glare at the child. "What the hell!?"

"Berry loves kitty!" he shouted happily, smiling ear to ear.

Blush darkening, Grimmjow leapt from the bed and rush out of the room, hand covering his inflamed cheeks. That... That brat just had to go and do something so embarrassing like that. What the hell was he thinking!? Not paying attention to where he was storming off to, the Espada bumped into the last person he wanted to see.

"Your face is red," Ulquiorra deadpanned, stating the obvious.

Grimmjow's cheeks seemed to darken at this, the kiss still lingering in his mind. "Shut the fuck up!"

The cuarto sighed. "Where is your charge?"

"What?"

Another sigh. "Kurosaki Ichigo. Where is he?"

"Back in my room."

"Are you certain?"

Grimmjow growled, his anger quickly making his flushed cheeks return to normal. What the hell was this guy's issue? Of course the brat was in the room right where he left him. He even shut the... Oh god. Turning on his heels quickly, he sped back to the large bedroom, cursing under his breath at the partially open doorway. When he peeked inside, he wasn't the least bit surprised to see that the toddler was nowhere in sight. Shoulders sagging, Grimmjow sighed heavily.

"Dammit," he grumbled. This child was going to be the death of his sanity... Well, the sanity he had anyway.

A pale hand rested on his shoulder, green eyes almost gloating at him. He hated when that bastard was right and he always seemed to be right. "Shall we go look for him?"

With another heavy sigh, Grimmjow relented and the search for the berry brat was on once again.

* * *

**A/N**: Oh god I finally updated this! I'm super sorry for taking so long. My laptop was actually fixed about a month ago, but I was so busy with con prep work and cosplay, I just couldn't find the time to update. ;^; BUT'S OKAY! BECAUSE I TOTALLY JUST DID! Also, forgive the shouta... I have a thing for it, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea... I don't like the hardcore stuff, just the cute fluffy adorbs stuff... Okay, so I have ONE HichiIchi shouta doujin, but that doesn't count because Hichi turns back to normal half way through the smut... ANYWAYS... Enjoy the update. I'm going to bust my bum to get back into a regular update, but don't count on it. I'm not exactly consistent. ;^;

_Please note: There will be no fic updates between the time of **May 26th - June**_ _**3rd**_. _I will be staffing a convention that weekend and will be too busy to work on any updates. I will continue to post this reminder in all updated fics until the aforementioned time._

**Thank you to all the reviews/favorites/follows. They mean a lot to me! : )**


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